Buxton Wants Place In Side

Despite scoring the late winner against Nottingham Forest and finishing last season with ten consecutive starts Jake Buxton knows he is not a guaranteed starter with the new season fast approaching.

An injury hit few months saw Buxton's chances limited last season but his introduction for the injured Shaun Barker in the 1-0 victory at Pride Park saw him enjoy a run in the side. The former Mansfield Town defender faces competition from the likes of Tom Naylor and Mark O'Brien to start alongside new signing Richard Keogh at the heart of The Rams defence.

Buxton knows the place is up for grabs and is looking to play himself into Nigel Clough's reckoning telling the Derby Evening Telegraph:

'There is an opportunity for me to try and claim a shirt. My aim is to try to stay fit for the 46 games and be on the team sheet as many times as I can be. I think the back end of last season gave a lift to everybody, including myself and also those people who may have doubted me and may have wrote me off, thinking I wasn't capable of playing at this level week in, week out."